Teaching children about the benefits of green energy may be the key to the continuation of the species. Our current methods of producing power are poisoning the landscape and putting ourselves at potential risk on a regular basis.

As we have seen a couple of times in the past few decades, even nuclear power generation comes at a risk that many of us would rather avoid. Investing the time into developing a cleaner and renewable energy source only proves to ourselves that we are ready to advance as the dominant life-form on this planet.

Here are a few renewable energy experiments that are educational and easy for you to do with your children.

Solar Personal Fan

Summer days are hot and what better way is there than to cool yourself with a personal fan? Using a computer case fan, a solar panel, an AA battery housing for four batteries, four lithium-ion batteries, and a few feet of copper wiring you can build a personal cooling fan that will use solar power to charge itself. The entire setup could cost you upwards of $30, but most of the materials can be used for other experiments or other practical uses. The only item that may be consumed in this experiment is perhaps the computer fan as the wires will need to be cut in order to splice them.

Solar Powered Phone Charger

Using close to the same materials above, you can create a solar powered phone charger with your child. The only real difference between this experiment and the one above is the target attachment. Instead of a computer fan, you will need to splice in the attachment for your phone or build in a USB jack to provide the power. There are many methods to this experiment online and most of the tutorials prefer the USB approach as it doesn’t require the destruction of a perfectly good phone charging cord.

Wind Turbine

No, you don’t need to invest in a ton of steel and 50-foot turbine blades. There are kits you can purchase online that you and your children can use to build working wind turbines using safe and child friendly parts. The tutorials are easy to understand and before long, you and your child could cover your roof with these miniature turbines in order to offset your electric bill. Well, probably not realistically. But it will open your child to the possibility of harnessing the power of wind for their own benefits. Encourage your child to adapt ways to use this power and watch them explore different possibilities.

Biomass Fruit Juice

Considered a biomass fuel product, various foods can be used to produce power. Although potato batteries are some of the most common of experiments, oranges and lemons can produce more power. This experiment is incredibly cheap as it requires only a small glass jar per “battery” used, copper lead – usually a nail, a galvanized nail or zinc coated screw, copper wiring, and real orange juice. While few have had success using concentrated juices, the best effects come from freshly blended oranges. As a stand-alone fruit, each orange can produce slightly over one volt of electricity. How many of these “batteries” can your child create to power an LED or perhaps the computer fan above?

Our current power generation methods are antiquated compared to our current technology level. Steam turbines still generate our power using various forms of heat and/or water. Combustion engines that focus on tiny explosions within a device are responsible for creating various forms of power. It is through knowledge that we become innovative and design the next most efficient technology. And it all starts from the wondering mind of a child.

Ken Myers holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College. As president of morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.